Lost In New York
by PenguinsOfMadagascar
Summary: The penguins just wanted some fish, but thanks to the lemurs they ended up getting lost on the other side of the city. Now they have to accept help from a stranger to get back home. Friendship/Adventure. Rated K. Complete!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Penguins of Madagascar or any of its characters! I do, however, own two characters in this story: Scorch and Swift. And I own the idea for this story!**

**Note: I just wanted to make this short story to show how the penguins and lemurs met Scorch and Swift, in case I ever want to bring them into any future story.**

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><p>It was after zoo hours, and the penguins were in their HQ. Skipper paced in front of his team, murmuring under his breath. The strategist of the group had announced that a truck full of fish was gonna past through Midtown. Skipper had ordered him to track the truck, and now that they found out where actually it was heading, the leader of the team was trying to think of a plan so they could get that fish.<p>

Finally Skipper came to a halt and turned to his men. "When's the truck gonna past by?" he asked Kowalski, who was looking over a map, but he looked up when his leader asked him the question.

He glanced up at the clock on the wall and then turned back to Skipper. "It's gonna go by at 1800 hours," he replied, glancing down at his map. "And it's gonna past right here." He turned the map around to show his leader and pointed to an area on the piece of paper.

Skipper nodded in understanding, recognizing the area and thankful it wasn't too far away. "Come on, boys," he ordered his team. "Let's move out before we miss the truck."

The four penguins ran up the ladder and jumped onto the island. The team followed their leader out of the habitat, dropping to their stomachs so they could get to the zoo entrance faster. As they went by the lemur habitat, Private exclaimed," I can't wait to eat all the fish!"

As soon as he heard what the young penguin said, Julien jumped off his throne and watched the commandos go by. Anger filled him up. He hated that fishy smell, and he sure didn't want the penguins to bring back fish to his kingdom.

"Maurice!" he called to his adviser, and the aye-aye climbed onto the platform within seconds.

"What is it, Your Majesty?" Maurice asked, looking at his king with anxiously.

"Those penguins are gonna go get fish," Julien explained as he looked down at the other lemur. "I can't allow this to be happening in my kingdom. We have to stop them before they get to the fish!" He stomped his foot to show Maurice how anger he was.

Maurice sighed. "You remember the last time you tried to stop the penguins from getting fish?" he asked, looking annoyed that his king wanted to do it again. "It got all confusing, and Pinkie ended up getting all the fish."

"Yes," the king agreed. "But I'm pretty sure I won that time, and I'm gonna win this time."

As he spoke, little Mort joined the other two lemurs and he stared up at his king with shining eyes. "I'm sure your plan will be the bestest ever!" the mouse lemur cheered as he jumped up and down.

"See, Maurice?" Julien smiled down at his adviser. "Mort agrees with me. Now come on," he added before either of the lemurs could speak. "Let's go before the penguins get that fish!"

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><p>Skipper looked out of his hiding place behind a dumpster to see that Kowalski was ready to switch the traffic lights, while the other two members of the team waited beside a building so they could get into the truck when it stopped at the light.<p>

The leader spotted the truck coming down the road, and he looked down at his walkie talkie. "Okay, Kowalski," Skipper started talking into the radio, glancing back up at the truck. "Switch to the red light...now!"

Skipper could see Kowalski messing with the wires in the box on the pole, and a second later the green light turned to red. Skipper smiled when the truck came to a halt. He singled to Private and Rico, telling them to open the truck's back door.

The two jumped onto the back of the truck, and Skipper saw Rico cough up something to unlock the door. Then the two opened the door and ran into the truck so they could throw a few boxes out. Skipper nodded, glad to see that the plan was working.

Suddenly he spotted a flash of gray, and without warning Julien appeared and closed the truck's door. Skipper felt anger pulse inside him when the king trapped his teammates in the truck.

Throwing his radio to the ground, Skipper slid over to the truck, thankful that Kowalski was still able to hold it at the red light. The leader of the penguins jumped up beside Julien and pushed him away without saying anything to him. The lemur fell to the sidewalk, but Skipper didn't care enough about him to check to make sure he was okay.

He opened the truck's door and was glad to see that his teammates were okay. They stared wide eyes at him, but before he could order them to grab a couple of boxes, so they could get out of here, something slammed into the lead penguin, sending him farther into the truck. Darkness engulfed him as Julien closed the door once more.

Now more angry than ever, Skipper ran to the door and tried to open it, but it was no used. He sighed and turned around, trying to see through the darkness, but he couldn't see Private or Rico. The anxious voice of the young penguin spoke beside him.

"What does Julien think he's doing?" Private asked, and Skipper imagined him looking at him with a scared expression.

"I have no idea," Skipper replied. He could hear Rico making confused grunts, but he couldn't understand him.

Suddenly a voice spoke over Private's walkie talkie. Skipper jumped when Kowalski started talking, and he was thankful for the darkness that hid his frighten reaction.

"Skipper?" Kowalski asked. "Are you okay?"

The leader of the penguins took the radio from Private. "Yes," he replied. "But we can't get out of here. What did Ringtail do?"

It was silence for a few moments, then the tall penguin finally answered. "It looked like he put the lock back on the door."

Skipper shook his head. He knew Julien hated fish, and he expected him to do something, but he never that he'd lock the penguins in the truck. Skipper was about to say something else to the strategist when suddenly he lost his balance when the truck started moving again and went around a corner.

"Kowalski?" Skipper spoke into the walkie talkie after he stood up again.

"Sorry, Skipper," the tall penguin replied. "I couldn't hold the light anymore. But don't worry, I'm gonna try to change the next light. I'm gonna see if I can get you out of there."

Skipper didn't reply. He sat down, waiting for the penguin to do what he said, but it seemed like the truck was driving for a while. He looked up when he heard something on the roof, and then suddenly Kowalski spoke on the walkie talkie. "The lemurs are on the top of the truck," he told his leader. "I'm following it, but I don't know where it's going."

The leader opened his beak to reply, but suddenly the truck came to a halt. Skipper jumped to his feet, wondering if Kowalski had manged to turn another light to red. The three penguins waited in silence for a few moments, until the back door to the truck opened, but Skipper immediately saw that it wasn't Kowalski who opened the door.

A human stood on the outside, and quickly Skipper singled to the other penguins to hide. The leader watched as the human grabbed a box and started walking off. Now was their chance to escape.

Skipper pointed his flipper out the door, and the two penguins followed their leader into the sunlight. They hide under the truck in case the human came back, and sure enough he did come back to grab another box, but as soon as he left again, Skipper and the two slid away from the truck and hid behind a building.

Skipper glanced around, wondering where he was. He felt a cold dread go down his back when he realize that he didn't recognize anything. If he was aware of everything that they pasted on the way here, he might be able to take them back home, but since he didn't, he was afraid he was lost. He sighed; he thought he knew New York like the back of his flipper, but he's never been to this part.

He then realized that the lemurs were still on the truck, clearly waiting for the right time to jump down so the human wouldn't see them. When they were finally able to get down, they walked over to where the penguins were hiding.

Anger filled up Skipper again as he ran out to meet Julien.

"What is wrong with you, man?" he demanded, glaring at the ring-tailed lemur. "Now because of you we are lost and probably far from the zoo!"

Julien shrugged as if he didn't think he did anything wrong. "I just didn't want you to bring back the nasty fishy smell," he told the penguin, matching his glare. "Getting lost is worth it if you can't bring back the fish."

The lead penguin opened his beak to gave a sharp retort, when he heard someone calling his name. He looked up to see Kowalski sliding to them. He jumped to his feet when he got to his friends, looking at them anxiously. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Skipper nodded. "No thanks to him, though." He pointed to the lemur king. "Thanks to him we are lost now."

Private and Rico appeared just then. "Lost?" Private asked, frowning. "Are you sure you don't know were we are?"

The flat-headed penguin wished he could assure the private, but he couldn't lie to him. "I'm sure," he finally said, sighing. He turned to Kowalski and asked," Do you have any idea where we are?"

"I think we may be on the other side of the city, far, far from the zoo," the tall penguin replied as he glanced around. "I have no idea how to get back." He looked nervously at his leader.

Before Skipper could reply, an unknown voice spoke from behind them. "Are you all lost?"

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><p><strong>Please review! No flames please!<strong>

**I'll have another chapter up tomorrow! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Penguins of Madagascar or any of its characters! I do, however, own two characters in this story: Scorch and Swift. And I own the idea for this story!**

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><p>Spinning around, Skipper found himself staring at a dark ginger cat who was sitting by a lamp post and watching the other animals curiously. The tom got to his feet and walked over to the lead penguin, but instantly Skipper got into a fighting position, ready to defend himself if this stranger attacked. He was aware of the other three penguins behind him, coping their leader.<p>

But there was amusement in the cat's eyes as he came to a halt in front of Skipper. "Calm down," he meowed, offering the lead penguin a smile, but Skipper still didn't trust this cat. There was a nagging feeling in his gut that told him there was something very off about him.

"Who are you?" Skipper demanded, not taking his eyes off of the ginger cat.

The cat dipped his head. "They call me Scorch," he replied, looking closer at the penguin. "Why are you all here? There isn't a zoo for miles." He blinked curiously at the penguins and lemurs. "The closest zoo is the Central Park Zoo, but it takes about a while to walk there."

Skipper was still eying the cat, but he lowered his flippers. "We need to get back to that zoo," he told him wary. "If you point us in the right direction, we'll get out of your fur."

Scorch seemed to think about what the lead penguin said, before he shook his head. "I'm sorry, but if you want to get back to that zoo, I have to go with you."

"Why?" Skipper took a step toward the cat.

"The way you have to go passes many cats' territories," the ginger tom explained. "I don't want you birds to be eaten by hungry cats." There seemed to be amusement yet seriousness in his voice. Skipper shivered, not liking this cat by the second.

"We will take our chances," he said. "Now just tell us where we are going." He was prepared to make the cat tell him what he needed when suddenly Private appeared beside him, looking up at him with huge eyes.

"Perhaps we should take up his offer, Skippah." The young penguin glanced at the ginger tom, before turning back to his leader. "It seems like he really just wants to help us."

Skipper opened his beak, about to tell him that they couldn't trust a stranger, but he was pushed aside by Julien, who walked to the cat and then came to a halt in front of him. "You really know how to get us home?" he asked the tom.

Dipping his head, Scorch explained," I know where pretty much anything is in New York." He smiled down at the lemur king.

Julien turned back to his friends and announced," I think we should follow the kitty cat."

"I don't care what you think, Ringtail," growled Skipper as he glared at the lemur. "If it wasn't for you, we'd be back at the zoo right now with all that fish!"

The two animals glared at each other for a moment, before Scorch pushed between them. "Fish?" he asked as he looked down questioning at the lead penguin, but Skipper didn't want to explain to this cat about the penguins' mission.

"That's classified," he told the ginger tom, switching his glare to him.

Scorch stared at Skipper for a long moment, making the penguin feel uncomfortable under his gaze, but he matched it. He wasn't gonna back down from some cat. Finally Scorch turned away from the penguin and shrugged.

"I'm just trying to help you out," he murmured. "But I can tell you're not the kind of animal to trust strangers. You always think everyone is a threat."

Skipper stared the cat, too shock beyond words. It was like he could read his mind...The lead penguin dismissed this thought, telling himself that nobody could do that. He glanced around at the other animals, seeing that they were waiting for him to say something. Then he met Private's pleading eyes, and the leader sighed in defeat.

"Fine, cat," he said as he looked back at the ginger tom. "You can show us the way home."

The ginger tom started to purr, and then he turned around, starting to walk down the sidewalk. "Follow me," he called over his shoulder at the other animals.

Skipper glanced back at the penguins and lemurs behind him before he ran to catch up to Scorch, trying to keep his distance from the cat. He noticed the others following him; he growled under his breath when he saw Private running to Scorch so he could talk to him.

"It's really nice of you to show us the way home," the young penguin said, smiling up at Scorch.

The cat smiled down at Private and replied," It's no problem. I like helping out animals."

Skipper was aware that Private said something back, but the lead penguin didn't want to hear it. He glanced around at everything around him, trying to make his mind recognize anything so they don't need help from this cat, but everything looked confusing to him. He sighed, silently cussing Julien for making them get lost.

_We would __be back__ in the HQ right now, if it wasn't for him! _he thought, glaring at the lemur king, but Julien didn't noticed. He was walking beside Scorch, too, but he didn't say anything to the ginger cat. It looked like he was just listening to his and Private's conversation.

Suddenly Skipper noticed Kowalski walking beside him. "Do you think we can trust this cat?" the tall penguin whispered to his leader as he kept an eye on Scorch.

Skipper sighed as he glanced at Kowalski. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "My gut is telling me that there is something definitely off about him. I just don't know what. I'm gonna keep a close eye on him though," he added after a moment of thinking.

"That might be the best thing," Kowalski decided, nodding thoughtfully. "I feel like something isn't quite right about him either."

The two penguins fell quiet as they followed everyone else down the sidewalk. Skipper kept glancing at Scorch, telling himself to be prepared if he makes a wrong move. But as everyone continued to walk, the cat didn't seem to be planning anything; Skipper still didn't trust him though.

He glanced around at his surroundings, hoping to recognize something, but still everything looked unfamiliar to him. He then realize that Scorch had came to a halt, and the lead penguin stopped by his side, glancing at the ginger cat. Despite his distrust of the stranger, he was curious to know what was going through his mind.

"What's wrong?" he asked the tom, but Scorch slapped his tail across his beak and whispered to him," Shh, this part of town has a cat who can't be trusted and we need to keep a close eye out for him."

_A cat who can't be trusted? _Skipper thought, glaring at the ginger tom beside him. _You mean besides you? _But he said nothing out loud; he just gave the cat a curt nod as he pulled away from him.

Everyone continued to walk, and Skipper suddenly felt tension from the other animals as if they believed what Scorch said. Skipper wasn't sure if he believed the cat or not, but just then he felt someone watching him. He came to a halt and looked around, but he didn't see anyone. He was about to move on when suddenly a cat stepped out of an alleyway. He was a ginger cat with one white paw and white chest.

Skipper was about to demand him to tell him who he was, but the newcomer's gaze was glued on Scorch as he growled," What are you doing here, brother?"

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><p><strong>Please review! No flames please!<strong>

**I'll have another chapter up later today!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Penguins of Madagascar or any of its characters! I do, however, own two characters in this story: Scorch and Swift. And I own the idea for this story!**

**Note: This chapter shows that Scorch has special powers, but I just wanted to point out I did not come up with these powers; for those who read _Warriors _by Erin Hunter, you'd recognize them as the powers of Jayfeather, if you've read that far into the books. I have future plans for Scorch and his brother, so I wanted to give these kind of powers to them.**

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><p>Scorch tried not to show his discomfort as he walked over to his brother. "Let us pass, Swift," he meowed calmly, eying him to make sure he doesn't do anything bad. He could feel waves of hatred coming off of Swift as he glared at Scorch.<p>

The youngest penguin suddenly appeared beside Scorch, and he looked up at the ginger cat with huge eyes. "This is your brother, Scorch?" he asked.

Before Scorch could reply, the lead penguin took a step toward Swift and demanded," Let us pass this insist!"

Scorch winced when Swift's hatred was turned to the flat-headed penguin. "And who would you be?" he asked, glaring down at the bird.

"Who we are is none of your business!" the leader growled, matching Swift's glare. "Just let us pass!"

Scorch shook his head and pushed the penguin away from his brother as he faced Swift. "Please listen to me, brother," he meowed, trying hard to calm his temper, but he really got made when Swift did something like this. "We need to pass through your territory, and I would like to do that without a fight."

Swift turned to his brother sharply, anger and hatred rolling off him like droplets after a rainstorm. "Where is the fun in that?" he growled, flicking his tail back and forth. "Why do you even want to pass through my territory?"

His anger was so strong now that Scorch could be swept off his paws, but he stood his ground as he answered," I'm showing these animals back to their zoo."

"Why not go the other way around?" Swift asked, his green eyes blazing.

"Because that will take two or more days walking," Scorch protested. "Please, Swift, just let us pass. We promise not to stay on your territory any longer than we have to."

The flat-headed penguin opened his beak to say something, but Scorch slapped his tail over his mouth, silently telling him to be quiet. Then Scorch turned back to his brother, glad to see that Swift was thinking about what he said. Finally he took a step back and growled," Okay, Scorch, but I'm gonna keep an eye on you. If I find out that you are still in my territory when the sun sets I'm gonna have to track you down, and I don't think you want that."

Scorch glanced up at the sky, fear gripping his head when he realize sunset wasn't too far off, but he couldn't argue with what his brother said. He was just glad that he was allowing them to pass through his territory. "Sounds fair," he murmured as he walked by Swift. He prayed that the others will follow him without objecting, and he was glad when they did, but he noticed the leader of the penguins glaring at Swift as they pass.

"What was all that about?" the tallest of the penguins asked as he ran to Scorch's side.

Not really wanting to discuss his rivalry with his brother, Scorch decided to distract them. "You know, you all haven't told me your names yet," he pointed out as he looked over his shoulders at the penguins and lemurs. He tried to ignore the questioning looks the tall penguin still gave him.

The smallest of the penguins smiled at Scorch as he said," I'm Private." Then he pointed to the penguin with the mohawk and crazy look in his eyes. "And that's Rico."

When Private introduced him, Rico made a grunt noise, but Scorch wasn't sure what he said.

"And my name is Kowalski," the tall penguin added, and Scorch could still feel his eyes searching his pelt even without turning to him.

Scorch glanced over at the flat-headed penguin as they continued to walk, but he just had a hard expression on his head and refused to look at the cat.

"That's Skipper," whispered Private to Scorch. "I'm sorry, but he usually don't trust strangers."

Scorch nodded, already knowing that from the waves of distrust that was aimed toward the cat. Scorch turned back to look in front of him, and then he noticed that the tallest of the lemurs had appeared in front of him. The ginger tom came to a halt as he looked down at the creature.

"And I'm King Julien," he announced proudly.

Scorch eyed the lemur. "A king, huh?" he asked, suddenly interested, but before he could say anything more, the other two lemurs appeared next to the king.

"I'm Maurice," the short gray lemur said, and then he pointed to the small brown creature beside him. "And that's Mort."

Mort looked up at the cat with huge eyes. "Hey!" he said as a big smile formed on his face.

Scorch opened his mouth to reply, but just then the lead penguin walked in front of him. "Can we please move on?" Skipper asked, glaring at the cat. "Don't we need to be out of your brother's territory by sunset, and–"He glanced at the sky, before turning back to Scorch–"that isn't far off."

The ginger tom nodded and gently pushed past the lemurs. He glanced around, trying to figure out the quickest route out of Swift's territory, but he noticed Private beside him.

"What was with your brother anyways?" the smallest penguin asked. "He seemed really mean."

_Mean? _Scorch almost snorted out loud. _Mean is the calmest word to describe Swift... _Instead out loud, Scorch explained," He's always been like that since his owners lift him alone when they moved away."

A frown appeared on Private's face. "Oh, that's so sad."

Scorch nodded in agreement, but he was really too focus on finding a quick way out of his brother's territory to worry about what Swift had become. "Come on," he meowed when he found a way. "Let's cut through this alleyway."

He started walking toward the alleyway, glad to see that Skipper and the others were right behind him. Once in the alley, he noticed a fence at the end of it. _The humans must have just put that up, _he thought, remembering the last time he came this way there wasn't a fence. He glanced behind him and asked," Do you think you all can jump over that?" He pointed to the fence.

Skipper gave a curt nod as he turned to the other penguins. He gave them singles with his flippers, and then they all ran to the fence, but Scorch noticed that they started heading toward the wall. The cat watched in awed as the penguins jumped into the air, hitting against the wall, and landing on the other side of the fence with no problem.

"They do this sort of thing every day."

Scorch jumped at the voice beside him, but he relaxed when he realize it was only Maurice. He looked down at the lemur, but he didn't say anything about what he said. Instead of asked," Do you think you lemurs could get over?"

It was the king who replied. "Of course," Julien snorted. "If the penguins can do it, we can, too! Come on, Maurice," he added as he looked down at the shorter lemur.

Maurice was staring at his king like he went crazy. "Can't we just climb over the fence instead of doing what the penguins did?" he asked.

Julien sighed and murmured," Fine."

The three lemurs ran to the fence and climbed it quickly. Scorch was about to follow when suddenly he felt eyes watching him. He glanced over his shoulder, knowing his brother was keeping an eye on them.

"Come on!" Skipper yelled from the other side of the fence. "We don't have all day!" He glanced up at the slowly descending sun, before turning a frustrated look on Scorch.

"I'm coming!" the cat meowed as he bashed over to the fence and started climbing it like the lemurs did. Once he was on the other side, he meowed," Come on, let's carry on."

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><p>They manged to make it out of Swift's territory before the sun set, and now they walked down a street in the dark. Scorch came to a halt and turned to the other animals. "I think we should rest for the night," he told everyone.<p>

"I don't think so, cat," Skipper growled. "I want to keep walking til we get to the zoo." He glared at Scorch, who sighed.

Glancing around at the tired animals, he told Skipper," Everyone is exhausted. They need to rest for the night, but I promise I will get you to the zoo tomorrow before the sun is at its highest point."

"But if Alice notices we are gone, she's gonna get suspicious," Private pointed out, looking up at his leader, but Scorch could see that he couldn't walk any farther even if pushed.

"Private's right," Kowalski spoke up, turning to Skipper. "But Scorch is right too; we need to rest." Scorch could feel his exhaustion like it was his own.

Skipper seemed to think for a few moments, until he sighed and announced," We are gonna rest for the night. There's nothing else we can do," he added after looking over his team. "If everyone is tired, it's gonna be dangerous going through the city."

Kowalski nodded in agreement. "Should we set up a guard?" Instead of asking his leader that question, he asked Scorch, but the ginger tom shook his head.

"We aren't on any cat's territory," he explained. "Everyone should get some sleep."

Skipper eyed the cat for a few minutes. "Where should we sleep?" he finally asked..

"In that alleyway," Scorch replied, pointing to a dark alleyway between two buildings. Everyone followed him as he walked into the alleyway, and they all fell on the ground with a groan. Scorch's mouth parted in a huge yawn, but he didn't want to go to sleep til after Skipper was in a deep sleep. He had a plan to show the lead penguin that he wasn't dangerous.

The ginger tom laid down, his eyes on Skipper as the penguin sat beside his team. They seemed to be talking about something, but Scorch didn't want to eavesdrop.

Finally Skipper laid down, and it wasn't long til he was in a deep sleep. Scorch glanced around at everyone else and saw that they were asleep, too. The ginger tom laid his head on his paws and closed his head, his mind on the leader of the penguins.

Then the world opened up in front of Scorch, and he found himself in a room made of stone. He glanced around, seeing four beds on the wall, a ladder that led upwards, and a door that seemed to go into another put of the room. He jumped over the steps and looked in front of him to see Skipper sitting in front of a black box that was flashing colorful lights as the lead penguin watched a show.

Scorch walked over to him, still glancing around the stone room. He finally came to a halt behind him and asked," So this is your home back at the zoo?"

Instantly Skipper jumped to his feet and faced the cat. At first he didn't seem to recognize him, but as he looked closer, his eyes widen. "Scorch?" he questioned, and the ginger tom nodded. "What are you doing in my dreams?"

Scorch looked down at his paws, before looking back up at the penguin. "I have these powers," he finally announced. "I'm able to feel other animal's emotions as if they were my own, and I'm even able to walk into other animal's dreams."

A hard look came on Skipper's face as he glared at the cat. "Why did you have to enter my dreams?" he demanded.

"I want to proof to you that I'm not dangerous and that you could trust me," Scorch explained, dipping his head to the leader to show him that he respected him. "I don't use my powers for evil, and I like helping animals, like I'm helping you and your friends right now."

Skipper eyed the cat for a long moment, before he sighed and murmured," Maybe we did get off on the wrong foot. But," he added after a short pause," I don't trust your brother. When we met him, he just seemed to eager to start a fight."

"Yeah," Scorch agreed. "He has the same powers, but he uses his for evil." The ginger tom didn't meet Skipper's eyes. "Now," he continued as he gaze the stone floor," I should go. I'll see you when you wake up." He turned to leave, but he heard Skipper call him back; he didn't reply to the flat-headed penguin though. He was glad when the stone room started to fad around him, and Scorch lifted his head. He was back in the alleyway with the other animals surrounding him as they slept.

His eyes scanned Skipper, seeing that he twitched his leg in his sleep. Scorch laid his head on his paws, hoping visiting him will calm Skipper down and let him trust the ginger tom. When Scorch was finally able to get back to sleep, he didn't dream again.

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><p><strong>Please review! No flames please!<strong>

**I'll have another chapter up tomorrow!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Penguins of Madagascar or any of its characters! I do, however, own two characters in this story: Scorch and Swift. And I own the idea for this story!**

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><p>Voices broke into Skipper's dreams, and the lead penguin jumped to his feet, forgetting where he was for a few moments, but then it came rushing back to him and he sighed. He glanced around the alleyway, spotting Scorch talking to Kowalski.<p>

"Are you sure we will get back to the zoo today?" the tall penguin asked Scorch.

"Yes," the cat answered. "It shouldn't be long now." He glanced over his shoulder, and Skipper froze when his green eyes landed on him. His dream suddenly came back to him, when Scorch told him that he had powers that let him feel other animal's emotions and walk into their dreams. He shivered, wondering if that really happened.

Scorch got to his paws and walked over to Skipper. "Finally you're awake," he meowed with amusement in his voice. "Everyone else has been wake for a while."

Glancing around, Skipper saw his other two teammates sitting beside the wall of the building, while the lemurs stood around; the king looked bored, and the other two looked like they were waiting for someone to tell them what to do.

"Why didn't anyone wake me?" Skipper demanded, walking over to his team. Kowalski ran over to join the other penguins as Private and Rico stumbled to their feet.

"I wanted to," Kowalski told his leader," but Scorch told me to let you sleep for a while longer."

Skipper turned around at Scorch. "Why did you tell him that?" he asked the cat.

Scorch shrugged. "You looked so peaceful sleeping," he meowed. "And after yesterday I thought you'd like some extra sleep. But now that you are awake," he added before Skipper could reply," it's time we got moving." He walked out of the alleyway, followed by everyone else.

Running to catch up to the cat, Skipper asked him," Did you have a dream last night?"

The ginger tom looked down at him and a purr started in throat. "Yeah," he replied, and then he added," I like your home at the zoo."

Skipper skidded to a halt, and Scorch turned to him. "So your powers are real?" he asked, but he noticed that everyone was beside him, and when he asked that they all turned questioning eyes on Scorch.

"Powers?" Private asked as he waddled up to the cat. "What does he mean?"

Scorch sighed. Skipper then realized that he had wanted to keep his powers a secret from everyone else, and he felt guilty for exposing them.

"I have these powers," Scorch started as he began to walk again; everyone ran after him. "I'm able to feel other animals emotions as if they are my own." He paused for a long moment, and when he spoke he added," And I can walk into animals dreams. Last night, I entered Skipper's dreams. That's how he knows about my powers."

As they turned down a street, Skipper glanced around to make sure no human was about. Then he turned to his team; he wasn't surprised when he saw disbelief in Kowalski's eyes.

"There's no such things as powers," the tall penguin said as he rolled his eyes. "And there's definitely no powers that allow animals to feel other animals emotions or walk in their dreams."

Scorch glanced back at Kowalski, before turning back in front of him. "You are a kind of person to believe in science, and since science doesn't proof in powers or magic, you don't believe in those kind of things."

Before Kowalski could reply, Private spoke up. "Well, I believe you." The small penguin smiled up at Scorch. "And I think it's pretty cool!"

Kowalski turned to his leader. "You actually believe him?" he asked Skipper with wide eyes.

Skipper nodded. "I wouldn't believe it if I didn't witness his powers myself," he explained. "But he walked in my dreams. He saw our HQ."

The three penguins turned their attention back on the cat. Private's eyes were shining with curiously as Rico growled at the cat as if he didn't like the idea of a stranger seeing where they lived. Kowalski, on the other hand, started questioning the cat. "What does our lair look like if you've seen it?" the tall penguin asked him.

Scorch glanced at the penguins, and then he started explaining what the penguins' HQ looked like, not missing a single detail. The three penguins looked at him with wide eyes as he told them what their home look like. Skipper couldn't help but feel amusement by his team's reaction to Scorch's powers.

Suddenly Julien ran in front of Scorch, making him come to a halt. "You have special powers?" he asked as he eyed the cat, and Skipper could see he was really curious what Scorch's powers.

Scorch dipped his head as he continued to walk, rounding a corner. Everyone ran after him. "I'm suppose to keep these powers a secret," he said over his shoulder. "So please don't tell everyone else, okay?"

"Of course," Private assured the cat. "You can trust us to keep your powers a secret."

"But how did you get these powers?" Kowalski spoke up as he ran to walk by Scorch's side. "I'm not saying I believe," he added quickly. "I'm just curios to know how you got them, if they are real."

"I was born with them," Scorch replied. "My mother said our ancestors gave them to us so we could help animals who are in danger."

Kowalski lifted a nonexistence eyebrow as he studied the cat. "Us?" he questioned.

"Yes," Scorch answered without looking at him. "My brother has these powers too, but he uses them for evil." He sighed, and Skipper was about to tell Kowalski to stop asking so many questions, but then he realized he was beginning to recognize some things.

"I think we are close to the park," Skipper told everyone as he ran ahead. He came to a halt when the spotted the trees and sidewalk of Central Park. He turned around to see that the others were keeping up.

"We are almost home!" Private cheered.

Skipper opened his beak to reply, but then he noticed humans walking by. He singled to everyone to hide, and when they were away from the people, he said," Okay, we need to get back without someone seeing us."

"We can jump from tree to tree," Julien spoke up, glancing at his two subjects.

Skipper glared at him. "That might work for you, Ringtail," he growled. "But we can't do that."

Julien shrugged and looked away from the penguin.

"How about the lemurs swing from tree to tree, like Julien said?" Scorch asked as he looked at Skipper. "And I'm sure you all can hide behind the trees til you get to the zoo."

"You're not coming with us?" Private asked before Skipper could say anything.

The ginger tom shook his head. "I need to begin my journey home," he pointed out as he took a step away from everyone. "But it was great meeting you all."

Unexpected sadness overtook Skipper at the thought of Scorch leaving. He had grown to trust this cat, and he even liked him. He knew Scorch could come in hardy if they need an extra man for a mission. He took a step toward the cat and asked," Why don't you move closer to our zoo?"

Scorch looked at the lead penguin in surprised. "Why?" he asked.

"In case we need your help in a future date," Skipper explained, hoping the cat would say yes, but Scorch shook his head.

"My home is on the other side of the city," he explained. "But don't worry," he added as if he noticed the deep sadness of the other animals," I'm sure we will meet again someday." And with that, the ginger tom ran to the nearest building, heading back to his home.

Skipper watched him go, before he turned back to everyone else. "Okay, Ringtail," he started. "You and the other two lemurs can swing from tree to tree."

Julien gave a curt nod, but he didn't seem pleased to be told what to do. Maurice shoved his king toward the first trees before Julien could say anything, and Mort ran to catch up to them.

"Come on, boys," Skipper told his team, and they followed as he ran to a tree, hiding behind it from the passing humans. They kept hiding behind each tree, and Skipper could see the lemurs jumping from the trees until finally they all met up beside the wall of the zoo.

Without saying a word, Skipper pushed the poster of himself and his team aside, and a dark hole greeted him. He slid into the hole, aware that everyone else was right behind him. He came to a halt when they made it to the other side, and he gently pushed the other poster away. He saw several humans walking by, but once it was clear he jumped out of the hole and ran behind a garage can. The other animals were right behind him.

He glanced out to see the penguins' habitat, but his heart sunk when he saw several humans around it, clearly looking for the penguins. He turned to his team and said," Okay we need a distraction." He glanced at Private, who nodded and dropped to his stomach, sliding over to where the humans were. Skipper was glad to see that everyone turned to him.

"Okay, now is our chance," he said, knowing Private couldn't distract them forever.

"How are we gonna get back into our habitat?" Maurice asked, glancing around the can. Skipper noticed a few humans around the lemur habitat.

"Sad Eyes," Skipper said as he turned to Mort. "Can you go distract the humans?"

Mort just blinked up at Skipper.

Julien groaned and lifted his foot, saying," Go be distracting the humans now!" And then he kicked the little lemur to their habitat; Mort landed on his face, but he jumped back to his feet as the humans turned to him.

Without another word, Julien and Maurice ran to their habitat, jumping over the wall before anyone could see them. Mort looked at the humans once more, before joining the two lemurs back into their habitat.

Skipper turned to his remaining teammates and then singled to them to go back to their own habitat. Kowalski and Rico dropped to their stomach, sliding to the penguins' habitat and jumping into the water before any human could see them. Skipper was right behind them.

Once they were into their habitat and on the island, Skipper saw that Private was still distracting the humans by jumping around and acting cute. Then the lead penguin singled to the young penguin to get back into the habitat. Private nodded and ran past the humans, jumping over the gates and landing on the island next to Skipper.

All the humans turned to the penguins, and Skipper was glad to see that they didn't notice anything wrong. He sighed with relief as he glanced at Private. "Good job, young private," he told him.

"Thanks, Skippah!" he cheered, and then he got a serious look on his face as he asked," Do you think we will ever see Scorch again?"

"He said he believes we will meet again someday," Kowalski spoke up before Skipper had a chance to. "I'm not sure if I still believe in his powers, but he does seem wise."

Skipper nodded in agreement as he looked at the humans surrounding the penguins' habitat. _I hope we will meet Scorch again, _he thought. _He seems like a useful ally._

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><p><strong>Please review! No flames please!<strong>

**The End!**


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